Wax carrying spool for thread



March 6, 1956 J. B. RUNDLE WAX CARRYING SPOOL FOR THREAD Filed Dec. '7, 1953 FIG.3

INVEN TOR JOHN B. RUNDLE 77M.W I

ATTORNEY WAX CARRYING SPGOL FOR THREAD .lohn B. Bundle, New York, N. Y.

Application December 7, 1953, Serial No. 396,705

3 Claims. (Cl. 15-405) This invention relates to spools for storing thread and more specifically to an improved spool structure of the type generally used for the sale of cotton and other types of thread to the consumer market.

In the use of thread for sewing fabrics, one of the more tedious and time-consuming problems is in threading the needle, since it is desirable to use as small an eye as possible in order to avoid making unnecessarily large holes in the fabric. In the case of sewing machines the problem of threading is quite obvious as the needle is in a fixed position. Heretofore, the user of thread has generally adopted the practice of moistening the frayed end of the broken or cut thread in order to stiffen the fibers and hold them together in a gently tapered point in order to facilitate threading. This procedure does not always function satisfactorily and a new thread end must be prepared. Furthermore such a procedure is not entirely sanitary and should of course be avoided.

it is known that a wax or other similar materials such as beeswax and the like works quite well in gathering the frayed fibers of the thread to facilitate threading. Since it is somewhat of a problem looking for a piece of wax each time a needle is to be threaded, it has been suggested that a small amount of wax be contained within a recess on the end of the spool. This procedure has a number of disadvantages in that the wax will pick up a considerable amount of dirt and dust as spools are usually set on one end or the other and the user will not ordinarily take time to keep the wax end up. 'This dust and dirt will of course be picked up by the thread and when used on light materials may leave soiled marks about openings through which the thread is pulled. Then again should the spool be placed on a warm surface, the wax may adhere to the surface and even be pulled from its recess when the spool is removed. As a result, the wax is not only lost but the surface must be cleaned immediately in order to avoid subsequent damage to materials being placed thereon. in the case of sewing machines, the annoyances entailed by failing to keep the wax on the upper side is quite obvious. Another problem with the use of wax on the end of a spool is that it is more diflicult to use and the sides of the spool must be gripped in order to expose the wax. This may of course result in soiling of the thread if one spool is used consistantly for waxing thread ends. Furthermore, the use of a spool end in this manner interferes with labeling which complicates sale and packaging of the goods as well as with unwinding thread. In unwinding thread the spool is usually held by its ends and the wax will not only be caught by fingernails and get on the hands but will pick up the oils and other substances discharged by the skin.

Accordingly, it is one object of the invention to pro-- vide a new and improved spool structure that avoids the above disadvantages and at the same time provides a wax deposit for use in treating thread ends that will stay clean, is easy and convenient to use and will not become loose or adhere to surfaces on which the spool is placed.

nited States Patent Another object of the invention is a new and improved spool embodying a wax containing channel that is inexpensive to manufacture, will not interfere with packaging and labeling and is readily adapted to waxing not only the thread end but entire lengths of thread that may require stiffening.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a spool including a wax containing channel wherein the wax is readily accessible and can be applied to the thread end and lengths of thread without the need for grasping and soiling the thread remaining on the spool.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings forming part of this application.

In the drawings.

Fig. l is a side elevational view of a spool in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top view of the embodiment of Fig. l in partial section;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevational view of the embodiment of Fig. 1 partly broken away and partly in section to show in greater detail the wax retaining channel;

Fig. 4 is a partial side elevational view of another embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view of a portion of a spool showing a modified embodiment of the in vention.

Referring now to Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawings, the spool id is of the conventional cylindrical shape and has a linear body part 12 and flanged end portions 14 and 16. In manufacture the spool is generally fabricated by cutting away material from a blank of the diameter of the flanged parts 14 and 16 to form the central recessed body part 12. To strengthen the flanges 14 and 16 and to facilitate winding of the thread 13 on the body part 12, the flanges are tapered inwardly as denoted by the numerals 2t) and 22. in accordance with conventional practice the spool is also provided with a central longitudinal opening 24 extending clear through the spool.

In order to provide a recess for containing wax to be used in treating thread and thread ends, one of the flanges, in this case flange 16, is made somewhat thicker than the other flange and includes a circumferential V-shaped groove 26 that opens into the periphery of the flange at a width somewhat larger than the diameter of the thread. The wax 28 Within the groove 26 is recessed slightly below the flange surface so that should the spool be placed on its side, the chance of the wax picking up dirt or sticking to the surface is greatly minimized. Then, too, the fact that the wax surrounds the surface of the flange prevents it from being easily withdrawn from the groove.

With the wax retaining groove on the side of the spool as described above, the user upon removing thread can immediately see on which end the wax is located and can easily treat the end of the thread to secure and stiffen the fibers for easy threading of a needle. In the case of conventional sewing machines, the spool can be placed on its spindle with either side down and with no-danger of getting wax on the machine. Normal labeling and packaging procedures can be used since the end of the spool is not disturbed and the wax on adjacent spools cannot come in contact. With but slight modification of the size of a conventional spool, the groove can be added without affecting the total amount of thread wound thereon.

Fig. 4 is a modification of the invention wherein the wax is retained in a peripheral groove beyond the edge of one of the flanges. In this figure the spool 10 has a body part 12 and a conventional flange 14. Beyond the flange 14 is a cylindrical extension 30 that is grooved at 32 to provide a wax retaining recess. This structure, as in the case of the embodiment of Fig. 1, protects the wax so that it will neither get dirty nor adhere to other spools or surfaces and yet its position on the spool is readily and easily detectable.

The embodiment of Fig. constitutes a modification of that shown in Figs. 1 to 3 and like numerals have been used to designate like elements. In this modification the spool together with the enlarged end flange 16 is fabricated in substantially the same manner as the spool of Fig. l. The periphery of the flange is however provided with a slight peripheral concavity 34 that may be either curved as shown in the drawing or in the form of a shallow t -shaped groove. Centrally of the concavity is a peripheral recess or groove 36 holding the wax 28. This groove is illustrated as having a rectangular section in order to provide three wall surfaces to which the wax may adhere and thus hold it more securely in position. If desired, the inner portion may be slightly flared to more firmly secure the wax in position. It is apparent, however, that a V-shaped groove may be used in this embodiment and that the rectangular groove may be used in the embodiment of Fig. 1.

With the modified form of spool described above in connection with Fig. 5, the added recessing of the Wax does not affect the accessibility of the wax but does offer additional protection from dirt and prevents any possible adherence to surfaces on which the spool may be placed. Moreover it facilitates alignment of the thread with the groove containing the wax so that the waxing operation can be accomplished more quickly and easily.

in each of the foregoing embodiments, the Wax retaining recess is on the periphery of the spool and can be readily formed simultaneously with the formation of the body part 12 and without the necessity for an extra step in the manufacturing process. Thus this new and improved structure can be fabricated without additional costs over the conventional structure.

While only certain embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is apparent that other modifications, alterations, and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

Having thus described by invention, I claim:

1. A spool for thread comprising a central cylindrical body part, a radial flange on each end of said body part, at least one of said flanges including a shallow peripheral groove formed in the edge thereof and extending entirely therearound, and a normally solid thread treating wax at least partially filling the depth of said groove throughout the entire length of the groove, the material of the flange forming said groove being relatively hard With respect to said wax whereby said wax in place in the groove may be applied to thread with removal of portions thereof on said thread Without deforming said flange.

2. A spool for thread comprising a central cylindrical body part, a radial flange on each end of said body part, at least one of said flanges having its edge formed with a shallow peripheral concavity extending entirely around said flange and having a width substantially equivalent to the axial length of the edge of said flange, a peripheral channel in the root of said concavity and extending entirely therearound, and a normally solid thread treating wax contained in said channel and occupying the entire length of said channel, the material of the flange forming said concavity and channel being relatively hard with respect to said wax whereby said Wax in place in the channel may be applied to thread with removal of portions thereof on said thread without deforming the flange.

3. A spool for thread comprising a central cylindrical body part, a radial flange on each end of said body part, at least one of said flanges having an outer cylindrical edge, a peripheral channel being formed in said edge, extending entirely around it and being narrower than its axial length and a normally solid thread treating wax in said channel and extending throughout the entire length of the channel, the material of the flange forming said channel being relatively hard with respect to said wax whereby said wax in place in the channel may be applied to thread with removal of portions thereof on said thread without deforming the flange.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,207,010 Flax Dec. 5, 1916 1,289,987 West Dec. 31, 1918 2,200,720 Morin et a1 May 14, 1940 2,635,832 Richmond Apr. 21, 1953 

